Day 5 - Music Business 101

I just want to offer a big thank you for being a part of this online course and trusting us with 4 weeks of your time. As we being to wrap things up, I think it is important to touch on the topic of the music business. I understand that some of you who are taking this course may be doing music in school and love it but probably will not be pursuing it as a career. I also understand that for some of you, this is your life and your means to making a living, or at least plan on that being the case. Choosing to have a career in music can be one of the most difficult decisions any young adult has to make. Often times this decision is not always welcomed with open arms from family and friends who are worried about what the future holds for you. Ultimately, a career in music seems like a very difficult thing to navigate but it really does not have to be.

The big problem we all face is the fact that it is difficult to pinpoint a career path like you may be able to do with other trades.

For instance, if you want to be a doctor your path may look something like this

  • Successful competition of high school with high GPA (4 years)

  • Apply for college

  • Successful completion of undergrad in pre-medical field (4 years)

  • Do well on the MCAT

  • Apply for med school

  • Apply and get into med school

  • Pass boards

  • Residency (3 to 7 years)

  • Pass final boards

The path to being a doctor seems daunting and it is, but the point is that there is a path, and it’s trusted and well respected. On top of that, nobody questions the fact that it took you around 11-12 years to become a doctor and you spent a few hundred grand to get there. Most young adults when they decide they want a career in music do not allow themselves the same time for training and development. This doesn’t mean you should go out and spend a couple hundred grand on your degrees, but it does mean you need a plan and realistic expectations.

What can we learn from this comparison?

Expectations. In a student’s progression to becoming a doctor, the time spent in their 20’s is largely about skill acquisition and sacrifice. They aren’t interested in the low hanging fruit because they have their eyes set on their goal. The unfortunate thing is that for most musicians, after they graduate college and a couple years go by, everyone starts asking questions and wondering if you are actually going to really “make it” in this career. For most of you reading this, when you decide to make a career in music, know that you will be met with opposition from your family and friends at some point in time. You can’t blame them for it because it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel for us.

So what is the path?

It doesn’t need to be difficult to find a career path, in fact it is quite simple. There are examples all around us of successful musicians with lucrative careers in music. The trick to finding your own path is through transcribing. Yes, just like you would transcribe music in jazz to better your chops you need to transcribe people and their paths to success. Study the people you look up to and learn about the types of things they had to do to get to where they are today. The only way for this to truly work though is you must first decide what your idea of “success” is.

Define Success

What is your idea for success? Reality TV shows put off this unrealistic idea of overnight success and the notion of “making it” or not. We often times put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to be some type of music superstar and internationally known. If that is what you want, thats great but it is not what you have to do. The point is, you can do whatever you like. One person’s idea of success may be to have a Grammy to their name. Another persons idea of success may be to have a mortgage to their name. You need to define what it is for you without the outer pressures of social dynamics and what you think society tells you that you should be.

Fun vs. Business

As a student, once you make that decision to go to college for music and do it as a career, you are also consciously or subconsciously making a decision to be a part of the music business. This is simple to just think about. It is easy to say you want to be in the music business but do you really know what that means? The reason I am speaking on this topic is because this was difficult for me to understand and I did not have any of my educators when I was younger tell me anything outside of “go to school and get a degree.” All that is great and I believe in the need for an education but that still have nothing to do with the music business. I will try my best to tread lightly when I say this next statement but a lot of colleges focus in a more direct manor on the art form you are making. Colleges help you to be well rounded musicians and grow and foster your skill sets. What a lot of schools do not prepare you for is having a business mindset.

In Reflection…

I am not going to try to pretend to me some type of motivational speaker here and give you a pep talk but I would like to share a 10 things that I have learned over the years. Hopefully you can learn from some of my triumphs and failures so you can walk in a more direct path than I did.

1.) Develop an 8 hour work day. No I am not talking about practicing for 8 hours a day, no adult has time for that. Also balance is important to your own well being which is why I think every musician needs to develop their own 8 hour work day. Think about if you when you work for a company. You get there early, dress a certain way, uphold a set a standards as required by your employer, you are limited to the number of breaks you can have and you typically work an 8 hour day with a lunch or dinner break in the middle. In the end, you are putting all of this tremendous effort into building someone else’s business. Give yourself 8 hours a day to dedicate to your business. If you have to call in sick, or have an excuse, limit them just like your employer would because you are your employer. Plan out how you will use this time between skill acquisition, accounting, planning, building projects, networking, strategizing, implementing and more. I can thank my father for teaching me this one and it has changed the way I have been able to do work.

2.) Study sales tactics. A little secret about me is before I started my professional career, I had a career in sales. I used to sell a whole bunch of things that I wasn’t really passionate about but I learned a lot about sales in the process. You need to be a great salesman and know how to talk to people and present yourself accordingly. Compared to selling life insurance and cars, the tuba is was easier for me. The reason is because I am passionate about it so I will do whatever it takes.

3.) Get an accountant. This may seem unfeasible to many from a financial standpoint but there are ways around that. Currently for the last 8 years 100% of my income is as a Sole Proprietor business owner. If you don’t know what this means it basically says that I work on a 1099 contract with every person who hires me and no taxes ever get taken out of my paychecks. Although that does not mean I don’t pay taxes, but thats where it gets sticky. Most musicians work in conditions like this in some way shape or form. You need an accountant to help teach you the systems of taxes and how to make quarterly payments and how to write off expenses and more. If you do not learn this stuff, it will bite you in the butt later I promise you. Also on top of that, basic principles of money management are really important. Now, if you can not afford to pay an accountant, find one who has a kid that plays an instrument and offer to barter and teach free lessons in exchange for their services. Bartering is a great tool.

4.) Get a tribe. Don’t try to do this thing alone. You need people in your hang that support each other and lift each other up. I would be nothing today without the people I surround myself with.

5.) Don’t be a jerk. Simple as that.

6.) Be accountable…show up early, learn your stuff, do your work. It is as simple as that

7.) Go above and beyond for anybody who gives you money. Work more than you think you should. I know for a 100% that I am not the best tuba player out there, in fact I think I am far from it, but I ALWAYS go the extra mile for every single thing I do. I know that is a major thing that has kept me gainfully employed over the years.

8.) Leverage success. Everything you do is a stepping stone to the next thing. I can think back to all of the gigs I have had over the years and how each gig and relationship helped to foster new opportunities.

9.) Stand out from the pack. I encourage you to find and develop that thing that helps to separate you from everybody else.

10.) Recognize failure as opportunity. I am here to tell you that you are going to fail. It is almost certain. You are bound to fail at some of the things that you set out to do and that is okay. Treat each failure as an opportunity to learn and hone in your skills even more. Reflect, redevelop your tactics and regrow stronger than before.

Music Business Interview with Drew Tucker

I would like to introduce you all to a long time friend of mine Drew Tucker. Drew is at the top of the percussion world and a music business wiz. Outside of navigating a career playing a strange instrument, Drew has also started multiple community arts music programs as well as his own Malletlab. I believe Drew is a great resource so I decided to ask him a few questions on this Zoom call below. As I am writing this, Drew currently lives in Atlanta and I am in South Florida and we are all amidst social distancing situations so we tried to make the best out of it using a little technology.

About Drew:

Drew Tucker is a musician, educator, and social entrepreneur—a unique combination of talents that place him at the intersection of the arts and activism. Artistically, he’s at the forefront of the movement to reinvent the vibraphone—a dynamic instrument that he melds with soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop influences. He has shared the stage with Shaun Martin, Stefon Harris, Mani Hoffman, Jeff Coffin,Tom Hurst, Nebojsa Zivkovic, Norah Jones, Mark Ford to name a few. He has toured extensively throughout America and most recently, his band ‘The New Standard finished a 3-week tour of Central America. His jazz influenced twists on modern-day standards from Michael Jackson, to Prince and The Police, have earned him key endorsements from Innovative Percussion, Musser, Beetle Percussion, Lot Riot and Sabian Cymbals—and the esteemed title of “Cultural Ambassador”by the U.S. Department of State and the applause of sold-out audiences worldwide. The passion he brings to the stage is also present in his classroom. 

As one of the founders of MalletLab, Drew brings in more than 50 students per year from around the globe to learn with 10 of the world’s top educators and performers in mallet percussion. He served as the percussion director at Boca Raton High School from 2004 –2018, was a Front Ensemble Consultant for the BlueStars in 2017 and the Blue Coats in 2018 and is one of the most sought-after educators in mallet education, which he led to him being a top front ensemble coach and one of the most coveted speakers in his field.


As a community activist, he’s driven to revitalize underserved areas through the creation of arts centers in underserved neighborhoods and was the key factor in the development of Arts Garage in Delray Beach, the Bailey & Ali Cultural Arts Center in Pompano Beach and Old School Square in Delray Beach. Through his leadership and musicianship, he strives to not only raise spirits, but set an example of excellence and open opportunities for students, families and communities to realize their potential. Whether performing alongside Grammy winners as a world-class vibraphonist, coaching eager high school students through national music competitions, or leading and directing the growth of local arts institutions, Drew's passion for improving people’s lives through artistic endeavor is unwavering.Drew Currently tours solo and with his band ‘The New Standard, serves regularly as a guest clinician and speaker, and is the percussion director at Kell High School in Marietta Georgia

Further Learning

I highly recommend checking out the “Six Figure Audience” course from JazzMemes. These guys are social marketing gurus and have a lot of insightful things to offer for anyone looking to build a strong following and reputation in today’s climate.